Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electric machines and, more particularly, to a stator including conductors provided with a composite sleeve.
Electric machines include stators that are wound with one or more conductors. The one or more conductors form a stator winding that is designed to impart or receive an electro-motive force from rotor windings to either power the electric machine in the case of an electric motor, or pass an electrical current to an external load in the case of a generator. Stators often include multiple stator windings that are joined to establish a desired connection such as a delta connection or a wye connection.
In such cases, windings are joined by jumpers and/or cross-overs that provide desired electrical interconnections. The number of jumpers can vary greatly and often times are required to include multiple bends in order to establish the desired interconnections and to nest with other jumpers without appreciably adding to an overall size of the stator. In addition to the jumpers, stators include phase leads that electrically connect each stator winding to an appropriate electrical phase on an external device, and a neutral bar that provides a neutral connection to the stator. The jumpers, phase leads, and neutral bar are generally provided with an electrical insulation for protection. Overtime, the electrical insulation may break down as a result of chafing caused by vibrations, compactions during manufacture, exposure to external elements, or the like.